Samhain and All Hallows: Samhain
In the meantime It has been three months since the Apprenticeship test. It is now the end of October, the middle of Autumn and the end of the harvest season. Since the Apprenticeship tests, the new apprentices have been learning an enormous amount, and have been kept frantically busy by their masters. * Daisy has been learning about ingredients. She has been spending a lot of time preparing ingredients, which mostly seems to mean scrubbing and peeling them. * Gareth has been learning about weapons and armour. People in the castle have been coming to the Weapon Smith with other, mundane items to repair, but he has been sending them away. Mostly they have been going across the lake to have mundane things repaired. * Kim has learnt that she has a lot in common with the other women in the Weaving Circle. Occasionally they are visited by Lady Fang who does not weave, but does enjoy sitting and gossiping with them. Lady Fang is almost always accompanied by the Master of Revels. The Master of Revels seems to enjoy Kim's company, as does Father Michael. * Lucky has been learning more about the island that Dragon Fang sits on. The Master of the Hunt has been teaching him how to care for the woods on the island, so that there will be good hunting available close to Dragon Fang. * Wiggan has been spending a lot of time grooming and exercising horses and cleaning tack. Arnold and Rip Claw * Arnold the pig was just weaned when Lucky won him (about 4 months old). Now it is 7 months old and has put on quite a bit of weight. He tends to follow Lucky around in the castle, and forage on acorns when he is out on the island. * Rip Claw has been tended by Daisy. His face is much better, but still not healed. He is still very gun-shy and dangerous if approached from the wrong side. When Wiggan is busy, he keeps Rip Claw under the castle. Rip Claw isn't too keen on this, but Nicole appreciates the company. Other people around the castle * Nicole is still fetching arrows under the castle, as commanded by her father. Lucky and Wiggan have been helping her sometimes. Kim also comes down to talk with her and keep her company. Sometimes, Nicole feels a bit sad after Kim has been to visit. * Gwynelle has not seen much of Wiggan since the Grand Melee. He has been busy and rumour has it that she has been spending time with Fox instead. Samhain Tonight is Samhain, the harvest festival. It is a time when the 'membrane' between the real world and the spirit world is weak. For Samhain, the moon will be big in the sky, but is getting smaller. The last full moon was on the 25 October and the next full moon will be on 24 November. At this time of year, the sun is coming up about 7 am and setting about 5 pm. There are about 10 hours of light each day between sunrise and sunset. Today there will be: * The autumn joust with a presentation of colours in the morning and joust in the early afternoon on the jousting field near the castle. * A market around the jousting field during the day. * A grand melee after the joust, in the last afternoon. It will be pretty dark by the time it is finished. * An outdoor feast near the jousting field, next to the bonfire. * A Bonfire night with a great fireworks display, overseen by Lord Fang. During the day: * Aaron and Daisy will be required to prepare, cook and serve. * Wiggan will be required to prepare the horses of the knights in the joust. * Gareth will be required to help his master prepare weapons and armour for the joust and melee. * Asheron, Lucky and Kim will not have any pressing official duties today. Tomorrow, the Christians will celebrate All Hallows. Lady Fang and the priest will lead a procession down into the depths of the castle with candles for those who have died. An audience with a Lady At breakfast, Gareth was summoned to an audience in the Weaver's Guild with Lady Fang. Before he arrived, there was some chatter among the weavers about how the Weapon Smith had some peculiar habits. After he arrived, the Weaving Mistress put him in his place (literally) after he became overly keen on seeing their 'work'. Lady Fang arrived with the Master of Revels. After some chatter with the weavers, she asked Gareth to carry a message to the Weapon Smith. “Please ask him if he will make a sword that I may give to my husband. Its blade, though of the finest steel, must shine like my love for him. The hilt, though equally strong, must be of the finest worked gold, like my heart in his hands. The scabbard should be set with jewels that glow with the inner light of his love for me. Do you think that he would do that for me? Please bring me his answer directly.” Gareth hurried down to the Weapon Smith, who was busy working on weapons and armour for the joust. He was horrified that people bought him weapons and armour for 'cleaning' when they clearly needed repairs. He didn't understand how people could think that these weapons and armour were serviceable. Gareth delivered the message as best he could. Unfortunately, he wasn't exactly sure what Lady Fang had said. The Master Smith decided to take his answer back himself. He agreed that he would be pleased to make a weapon like that for Lady Fang. A message for a Lady "Thank you very much indeed, Mr Burgess." (I was glad to have got in the 'mister'.) "Is there anything I can do for you?" I fully expected him to say no, but instead he looked at me rather hard and said: "Well, perhaps, there is." My curiosity was at once aroused. "Could you take a message for me?" L P Hartley, The Go-Between After they had gone, the Master of Revels asked Kim for a moment of her time. He took her to another room and asked her to deliver a message for an important lady. When she agreed, he gave her a small box that contained the message. He asked her not to open it. He said that it needed to be delivered to a specific place in the forest, the Grove of the Tree Warden, and placed in a small cupboard hidden behind the wood heap. He had a sing-song poem to use as directions to find it: Flee the Fang, so that no foe will see and only friends will know. Cross the lake, so that no one will know and only friends will help. Travel North, with no-one to help and only friends to guide. Through the forest, with no foe to guard against and only friends along. Up a stream, with no foe along and only friends for company. To a cliff, with no foe's company and only friends around. With a cave, with no foe around at all and only friends to see. He has a few pieces of advice for her, too: * It would be unsafe to go alone. Perhaps she could invite a few friends on a picnic... * Use his name if she wants any of the other Masters to provide her with anything for this task. * Under no circumstances should she speak to anyone about her message, before or after delivering it. * In the Grove of the Tree Warden, "Touch nothing there with malicious thoughts, or it will be a great woe for you." * Be sure to be back in time for the fireworks. Leaving the castle When Mistress Twonky heard that Daisy was to be going out into the forest, she asked her to look out for some special ingredients. * Athelas: a vine with dark green leaves divided into four parts. In the hands of a king, it can cure anything. * Bastit: a small succulent that tends to repel insects. * Birthnot: a dark-leaved, flowerless vine that can act as a contraceptive. Master Rassendil decided to make the best of a bad thing and asked Wiggan to exercise some horses. The other masters were annoyed that they were losing their apprentices on such a busy day, but gave in when they heard that the Master of Revels had commanded it. Grove of the Tree Warden Some of the apprentices had a bit of difficulty with their horses. Daisy found two of her ingredients in the forest. They stopped for lunch in an idyllic setting by a stream. As they were sitting quietly after lunch, a roe deer appeared from the forest. Quick as a flash, Wiggan and Lucky had killed it. Wiggan skinned it and hung it up safely for when they returned. The ground and the stream were stained with blood. The Grove itself was beautiful, peaceful and quiet. There was an open space full of butterflies, a small spring where the stream started and a cave. In the cave, Kim found a small hidden cupboard behind the wood-heap. She removed three dusty bottles and put the box carefully inside. She did not look in the box. Daisy found her last ingredient, Birthnot, was growing on the cliff face by the cave. She took a small amount. After taking a very refreshing drink from the pool, they whistled up Rip Claw (who was chasing butterflies) and Arnold and headed home. In the forest some distance away, they could hear that there was some large disturbance, but they couldn't make out what it was. Chased home The deer carcass that Wiggan had prepared earlier was gone! The soil around the tree where he had hung it was all torn up and there was a trail of torn soil leading off into the forest. As they traveled home, they realized that they were being shadowed in the forest. One of these wolves came out onto the trail and started towards them. Some horses panicked and fled for home but others were rooted to the spot. Wiggan found himself about to attack the wolf to protect the others when Rip Claw appeared from nowhere and threw himself at the wolf. The last Wiggan saw was Rip Claw and the wolf in a furious tussle. Celebrating Samhain Because of the wolf, the trip back was very quick. The terrors of the trip faded as everybody quickly prepared their masks for the feast. Most decided to come dressed as rats or some other reference to the Rat Lord. There was a moment of nastiness when Fox appeared dressed as Wiggan, riding a little hobby-horse. Wiggan challenged him to a fight in the catacombs at midnight! Apart from that they feast was fine and everyone wore amazing costumes. Lord Fang presented a horrible appearance in his costume. He appeared to be crippled and deformed, with one side of his face melted away. His fireworks show was spectacular. Near midnight, Weasel came to fetch Wiggan and escort him down into the catacombs. He explained that everybody should write their name before entering the catacombs, so that people would know that they were in there. Category:Session records